My teenage friend Remy has taken up pole-vaulting. As I listen to his father talk of the boy’s accomplishments, I am awestruck by strength and grace it takes for Remy to propel himself through the air and over an ever-increasingly higher bar. It also strikes me that this sport serves as a fitting illustration of how we are forever raising the bar for ourselves in life. We are constantly aiming higher, reaching for more – more money, prestige, love, and excitement. More security, commitment, clarity. While I certainly encourage the ongoing pursuit of growth and acheivement, I think it is worth noting that life itself is really not a competition. It doesn’t truly matter how fast or how high we go. What is important is how fully we allow ourselves to bask in the glory of our gains before we move on to higher heights. Or, perhaps more importantly, how much we enjoy the ride while we soar through the air into new horizons. For Remy, I want the olympics. I want him to set his goals and meet them all, gold-medal style. As for the rest of us, let’s pride ourselves on the hurdles we’ve already overcome before we raise the bar higher still. If we take a while to stand in place and gather our strength, when it is finally time to jump, we can fly.